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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
September 6, 1899
Died
April 26, 1984
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
May McAvoy
0.6 Popularity
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia May McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in The Enchanted Cottage, Esther in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and Mary Dale in The Jazz Singer. McAvoy appeared in her first film, entitled Hate, in 1917. After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in director Fred Niblo's 1925 production of Ben-Hur, released by MGM. The feature-length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era. Although her voice was not heard in The Jazz Singer, McAvoy did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, which was directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starred Conrad Nagel. For years a rumor circulated that McAvoy retired from the screen at the transition to sound films because of a lisp or speech impediment. In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists, who asked her not to work. Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in a small part in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur.
Known For
🎬
0.0
Self (archive footage)
Gareth Hughes
2000
7.9
Woman in crowd (uncredited)
Ben-Hur
1959
7.0
Grimm's Secretary (uncredited)
Executive Suite
1954
7.3
Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
The Bad and the Beautiful
1952
6.7
Nurse (uncredited)
Mystery Street
1950
6.3
(uncredited)
The Yellow Cab Man
1950
5.2
Woman (uncredited)
Luxury Liner
1948
5.6
Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
Movie Pests
1944
5.7
Dowager (uncredited)
Two Girls and a Sailor
1944
4.6
Mr. Blabbermouth!
1942
Credits
🎬
Gareth Hughes
as Self (archive footage)
2000
0.0
Ben-Hur
as Woman in crowd (uncredited)
1959
7.9
Executive Suite
as Grimm's Secretary (uncredited)
1954
7.0
The Bad and the Beautiful
as Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
1952
7.3
Mystery Street
as Nurse (uncredited)
1950
6.7
The Yellow Cab Man
as (uncredited)
1950
6.3
Luxury Liner
as Woman (uncredited)
1948
5.2
Movie Pests
as Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
1944
5.6
Two Girls and a Sailor
as Dowager (uncredited)
1944
5.7
Mr. Blabbermouth!
1942
4.6
Rio Rita
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
1942
5.8
Born to Sing
as (uncredited)
1942
5.0
Main Street on the March!
as Window Shopper (uncredited)
1941
5.6
Ringside Maisie
as 1st Nurse (uncredited)
1941
4.5
Sucker List
as Secretary (uncredited)
1941
6.3
Love Crazy
as Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
1941
6.7
1-2-3-Go!
as Nurse
1941
6.5
Whispers
as Gossip (uncredited)
1941
0.0
Third Finger, Left Hand
as Telephone Operator (uncredited)
1940
6.8
Dulcy
as Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
1940
5.8
Phantom Raiders
as Middle Telephone Operator
1940
6.1
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
as Saleslady
1940
5.5
Two Girls on Broadway
as Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
1940
6.6
No Defense
as Ruth Harper
1929
0.0
Stolen Kisses
as May Lambert
1929
5.0
The Terror
as Olga Redmayne
1928
6.0
Caught in the Fog
as The Girl
1928
0.0
The Lion and the Mouse
as Shirley Ross
1928
0.0
The Little Snob
as May Banks
1928
0.0
If I Were Single
as May Howard
1927
0.0
A Reno Divorce
as Carla
1927
0.0
The Jazz Singer
as Mary Dale
1927
6.1
Slightly Used
as Cynthia Martin
1927
0.0
Irish Hearts
as Sheila
1927
0.0
Matinee Ladies
as Sallie Smith
1927
0.0
The Fire Brigade
as Helen Corwin
1926
3.5
The Savage
as Ysabel Atwater
1926
0.0
The Passionate Quest
1926
0.0
My Old Dutch
as Sal Gratton
1926
0.0
The Road to Glory
as Judith Allen
1926
6.0
Lady Windermere's Fan
as Lady Windermere
1925
6.8
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
as Esther
1925
7.3
🎬
Tessie
as Tessie
1925
0.0
The Mad Whirl
as Cathleen Gillis
1925
6.5
Three Women
as Jeannie Wilton
1924
2.7
Tarnish
as Letitia Tevis
1924
0.0
The Bedroom Window
as Ruth Martin
1924
0.0
The Enchanted Cottage
as Laura Pennington
1924
6.7
West of the Water Tower
as Bee Chew
1924
0.0
Her Reputation
as Jacqueline Lanier
1923
0.0
Hollywood
as May McAvoy
1923
8.5
Only 38
as Lucy Stanley
1923
0.0
Kick In
as Myrtle
1922
0.0
Clarence
as Cora Wheeler
1922
0.0
A Trip to Paramountown
as Self
1922
7.3
The Top of New York
as Hilda O'Shaunnessey
1922
0.0
A Homespun Vamp
as Meg Mackenzie
1922
0.0
A Virginia Courtship
as Prudence Fairfax
1921
0.0
Morals
as Carlotta Carlotta
1921
0.0
A Private Scandal
as Jeanne Millett
1921
0.0
Sentimental Tommy
as Grizel
1921
4.0
The Truth About Husbands
as Leslie Brownell
1920
0.0
The Devil's Garden
as Norah
1920
0.0
The Forbidden Valley
as Morning Glory
1920
0.0
The House of the Tolling Bell
as Lucy Atheron
1920
0.0
The Sporting Duchess
as Mary Aylmer
1920
0.0
The Way of a Woman
as Grace Lee
1919
0.0
The Woman Under Oath
as Edith Norton
1919
5.0
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
as Australy Wiggs
1919
5.0
I'll Say So
1918
0.0
A Perfect Lady
as Claire Higgins
1918
0.0
To Hell with the Kaiser!
as Wounded Girl
1918
0.0